holland america vs celebrity

am thinking of booking a cruise on HA but wonder what the differences will be as far as

nightly music entertainment

quality of food

any help would be appreciated.

thanks

I love HAL, but did do a New England/Canada cruise on Celebrity Constellation.

You will find the food, activities and entertainment comparable.

The size of the ships I sailed (Zuiderdam and Constellation) were similar. We can't fault the crew on either ship, both were excellent, seeing to our every need.

The biggest differences we felt were 1) on Constellation we were constantly being told "you can't get there from here" having to go up a deck or down a deck. 2) silk flower arrangements

On HAL there is a teak Promenade deck that encircles the ship, if you want to get from one end to the other get to the Promenade deck and you can go wherever you need to go. And HAL has fresh flowers (orchids and roses in Alaska) on every table, even outside by the pool. And free split pea soup or hot chocolate on deck during Glacier Bay cruising, with blankets and teak deck loungers, it was heaven.

And now for me, the biggest difference, that Celebrity has drastically reduced it's smoking areas. You used to be able to smoke in the cabin and on your balcony, but not anymore. That will stop me from sailing Celebrity again. I smoke, but my traveling companion has severe asthma so I can't smoke in the cabin, but would sit on the balcony, even in the rain, to be able to smoke without affecting her health. HAL still allows smoking on the balconies and in your cabin.

OVERALL both are a little classier cruise than say Carnival, NCL, RCCI, or Princess, JMHO. But that could soon be changing too, this "anytime" dining seems to be overtaking the "traditional" dining times on a lot of the cruises (according to this website anyway).

Give it a try, I don't think you could go wrong with either line.

We have sailed on both Celebrity "Constellation Class" 6 times and HAL "almost all classes" 6 times also. We like them both and only give consideration to one over the other because of itinerary and costs. We do "appreciate" the smoking policy on Celebrity's ships, but except for one experience on the Volendam on an Alaskan cruise a few years back we have enjoyed HAL (had a problem on the OLD Westerdam with smoking in the dining room but that is not allowed currently).

The styles of the ships are different, but both very classy... not sure what the up and down previously noted is about. That is a problem on the smaller class HAL ships as you can't get to the downstairs dining room from the forward 4th level public areas causing some confusion for folks trying to get to the main level dining that's the only UP and DOWN I can think of. Love the Solarium on the Constellation Class ship of Celebrity... nothing really that comparable on the HAL smaller ships and a smaller version on the Zuiderdam class of ships. HAL larger ships are more comparable to the Celebrity, but the smaller ships have a warm cozy feeling. If up to me it is first itinerary (HAL has more "unique cruises", then price and Celebrity has some unique discounts (like Military sometime available), then a coin flip of the other two factors are equal.

Have cruised with both lines, and they are similar in that they offer good value. We were on a Celebrity transatlantic last year, and a Holland America transatlantic this year. Overall, the main difference between the two cruises had to do with diversity of passengers--the Holland America cruise seemed to have many more older people who were mainly from the United States. The Celebrity cruise seemed to have more diversity of age and nationality.

am thinking of booking a cruise on HA but wonder what the differences will be as far as

 

nightly music entertainment

 

quality of food

 

any help would be appreciated.

 

thanks

WE will let you know in 10 days...just did our 1st X trip and now HAL this Friday.....:D

We have sailed on both lines within the last year. We prefer Celebrity's smoking policy and think that the entertainment is better on Celebrity.

HAL's policy of bringing wine on board and their drink prices are much better than Celebrity. HAL has elegant afternoon tea, complimentary cappuccino in the MDR, complimentary hors d'oeuvres in some of the lounges during cocktails hours. Other than that we find them to be similar and enjoy cruising on both. HAL does have more interesting itineraries.

Having sailed both HAL and Celebrity there are just shades of differences. Both are going to offer a cruise experience that will have elements of elegance, comfort, and near luxury in many regards. Entertainment is in the eye of the beholder, but Celebrity will run more to the edgy, particularly on the larger ships, think stylings like (as in similar to), Blue Man Group, Cirque, broadway reviews. HAL will be a bit more middle of the road, less edgy, and usually solid, and throw in a string quartet with a bit more emphasis on romantic dancing opportunities.

Food, here again similar, but the thing I would say is that both will offer uniformly competent offerings in variety and quality (and service) at ALL venues on the ships. Some venues will rise to outstanding, relatively speaking. I have been on some lines where quality and variety suffer at some venues to low-grade institutional offerings at best. Nor will there be lots of up-charges to get variety and quality, there will be some, but not a requirement to eat well on either line (unlike one line that you should plan on it for most of your evening meals).

As some have commented, if having a smoking neighbor on a balcony, or the possibility of a older non-late-night crowd is a dealbreaker, that would be a nod to Celebrity. If you enjoy a high level of friendly service from folks that will recognize you from all over the ship its a nod to HAL - this is due to size of the ships (smaller). I would describe the average passenger on each line to be generally well educated, reasonably well traveled with interesting diversity.

In short, I don't think you would be making a mistake in booking either line, given similar itineraries.

Have fun!

We have sailed both - Hal's Noordam a few years ago, and Celebrity Summit this year. We found our cruise aboard Holland much better than on Celebrity from the standpoint of food, entertainment and service. Holland created a more elegant environment and Celebrity seemed to us to be more casual, less food selection/quality, entertainment o.k. but just not appealing to us. And, in my opinion, no ship has Hal's beds beat. They are really comfortable.

Granted Noordam was a brand new ship when we sailed with Hal and the Summit is showing age (a lot) and that made a difference.

WE will let you know in 10 days...just did our 1st X trip and now HAL this Friday.....:D

Gealen, I am so interested in how your cruise goes!

We sailed on the Solstice last March with our kids ( 6 and 11), and are booked on the Westerdam for this March break.

We were wondering how the Westerdam would measure up with being on older ship? But the itinerary looks amazing (southern carribean).

have a great cruise!

am thinking of booking a cruise on HA but wonder what the differences will be as far as

 

nightly music entertainment

 

quality of food

 

any help would be appreciated.

 

thanks

Both Holland America and Celebrity are excellent cruise lines; much better than RCCL, NCL or Princess. These are the things each line does well for us:

(we've sailed Holland America 8 times and Celebrity 15 times)

Holland America:

--mixture of sizes of ships

--great itineraries

--wrap around promenade decks

--good service with an Asian feel

--very good MDR food

--lido is one of the best at sea

--great beds and beddings

Celebrity:

--better MDR food

--best alternative restaurants at sea

--bright/modern decor

--no smoking in cabins or balconies

--light food options in Bistro on Five and The Aqua Spa cafe

--best large ships at sea (Solstice Class)

--open/uncrowded feel of the ships

--larger showers

--upscale and polished service with a smile

--open seating is less intrusive

--dining in Blu is unique and special

--been invited to the Captain's table eight times

--more entertainment around the ship

--Captain's Club perks are the best at sea

--interactive TV's in the cabin

Enjoy!

Kel:)

Hi, just sailed on HAL for the first time, we've done 3 on X. I would sail again on HAL for a vacation type cruise such as we just took, if the price was right, our HAL balcony cabin cost about what an S class concierge cabin cost. It was a 7 day cruise. For longer itineraries, I still prefer a Celebrity S class ship, they are beautiful, spacious with classy decor & furnishings.

These were our opinions:

HAL:

better MDR food

much better evening buffet

walk-around promenade deck

very happy, relaxed friendly crew

more relaxed dress

Carry on as much wine/champagne as you wish***best policy ever!

X:

much better breakfast room service

more spacious feeling on ships

service & crew is a bit more formal (equal, but different)

dressier

nicer spa area

better bedding (duvets vs blankets)

consistently better pricing on balcony cabins

better smoking policy (if you don't smoke)

If I found the exact same itinerary for the same price, I'd pick X, you can't beat their ships. If HAL was a few hundred cheaper, I'd go with them.

We have sailed on both Celebrity "Constellation Class" 6 times and HAL "almost all classes" 6 times also. We like them both and only give consideration to one over the other because of itinerary and costs. We do "appreciate" the smoking policy on Celebrity's ships, but except for one experience on the Volendam on an Alaskan cruise a few years back we have enjoyed HAL (had a problem on the OLD Westerdam with smoking in the dining room but that is not allowed currently).

 

The styles of the ships are different, but both very classy... not sure what the up and down previously noted is about. That is a problem on the smaller class HAL ships as you can't get to the downstairs dining room from the forward 4th level public areas causing some confusion for folks trying to get to the main level dining that's the only UP and DOWN I can think of. Love the Solarium on the Constellation Class ship of Celebrity... nothing really that comparable on the HAL smaller ships and a smaller version on the Zuiderdam class of ships. HAL larger ships are more comparable to the Celebrity, but the smaller ships have a warm cozy feeling. If up to me it is first itinerary (HAL has more "unique cruises", then price and Celebrity has some unique discounts (like Military sometime available), then a coin flip of the other two factors are equal.

We were in cabin 6143 on Celebrity Constellation way back in suite land. Whenever we wanted to go to a lounge, bar, shop, MDR, photo booth, disembark, it seemed we were always on the wrong deck, couldn't get through, ask a crew member how to get there, and the answer was always "you can't get there from here, you have to go up a deck or down a deck". We never found an easy way to navigate from the back of the ship to mid-ship or forward, without having to use the elevator a number of times.

Whereas on HAL ships ("old" Noordam and Zuiderdam) if you get to the Promenade deck, you can make your way forward, mid-ship, aft easily.

They are both good. I think the bigger issue may be down to specific ship and length of cruise that you are considering on both lines. You will get a different age demographic on longer HAL cruises-a lot more seniors. Also a consideration would be cabin type. There have been issues on some HAL ships with regard to HVAC on their smaller, older ships especially with insides and oceanview cabins. Also, make sure that you are not booking a HAL ship that is fresh out of drydock.

Just thought of the most distinctive difference:

Celebrity: Makes their own ice cream daily I do believe...

HAL: Uses ice cream in commercial packs and stored on the ship...

Am I wrong on this comparison???? anyone have a more informed knowledge on this point of difference???

Sailed the Summit (14 days) in early Sept and the Rotterdam (30 days) two weeks later.

Not really sure that the food was that different though I think I'd give the edge to HAL. On the Summit we had lobster once and it was 1/2 of a lobster tail...what you say???? HAL had it numerous times and was presented out of shell while Celebrity's 1/2 lobster was still in the 1/2 tail shell. On the lobster meter HAL wins by a long shot.

I never liked Celebrity ice cream. I'm not sure why. I thought it had an odd taste.

We also have sailed both lines. The smoking policy on X is a huge plus for us. However, HAL's bedding is much better. The entertainment (for us) on X was superior.

As far as the "up and down," we were just on the Maasdam and had a heck of a time getting to the dining room.

Both lines have open seating which is a definite consideration for us.

In my opinion the shore excursions on X are better and more varied.

Enjoy. You won't be sorry with either.

We've sailed both and found them to be pretty much the same product, in the good sense. Sure, there are subjective aspects like food, entertainment, and service but those differ from cruise to cruise even on the same line so it's hard to draw a consistent comparison. Personally we'll not be cruising with Celebrity again because of their smoking policy and canceled a cruise back in 2008 because of the change. If smoking, one way or the other, is not an issue for a potential cruiser then I'd say give Celebrity a try if you're happy on HAL and vice versa if you're a Celebrity cruiser thinking of HAL.

Last year we did an X Solstice cruise to the Med. We picked HAL next year (for the Iberian itinerary) as we were told the lines were similar in many respects.

After reading thread after thread about smoking, obsolete ships, non-working plumbing, mediocre food, rude passengers, foul smells, inappropriately dressed diners, and out of control children (and those are only the issues that come to mind) I'm starting to wonder....

 

 

X:

much better breakfast room service

Has Celebrity improved thier room service breakfast? :confused:

Last time I was on board an "X" ship, the room service breakfast consisted of a piece of toast, and a pot of tea. :rolleyes: :D

But kidding aside, it was pretty lame compared to HALs hot room service breakfast. For example, the menu on X was limited to pastries, and whatever hot beverage you desired.

A "guest"* was laughed at if they wanted bacon and eggs. :p

* If I was considered a guest, they had a strange way of showing it ...

Yeah, it's kind of weird on Celebrity, since they seem to hide their room service menus. No kidding, they're tucked away somewhere in your cabin between some racks and you really have to know what you're doing to find them. I didn't like the service on X.

I don't like the smoking on HAL, way too much on the verandahs. Nice service, though.

6 of one, have a dozen of another.

The only cabin breakfast menus I recall are the cards to hang on the door.

The rest of in-cabin dining was limited to a few sandwiches, and a bowl of ice cream. :rolleyes: :D

Has Celebrity improved thier room service breakfast? :confused:

 

 

Last time I was on board an "X" ship, the room service breakfast consisted of a piece of toast, and a pot of tea. :rolleyes: :D

 

 

But kidding aside, it was pretty lame compared to HALs hot room service breakfast. For example, the menu on X was limited to pastries, and whatever hot beverage you desired.

A "guest"* was laughed at if they wanted bacon and eggs. :p

 

 

* If I was considered a guest, they had a strange way of showing it ...

I have to admit, all of our celebrity cruises have been in concierge class with the expanded breakfast menu....not sure what the breakfast choices are in regular rooms.

I have to admit, all of our celebrity cruises have been in concierge class with the expanded breakfast menu....not sure what the breakfast choices are in regular rooms.

In steerage, it was limited to bread and water ...

:D ;)

But that's the good thing about HAL ... it's the same in every cabin category.

On Celebrity-- you can order room service on the interactive TV. Pretty extensive menu.

Enjoy!

Kel:)

Have cruised with both lines, and they are similar in that they offer good value. We were on a Celebrity transatlantic last year, and a Holland America transatlantic this year. Overall, the main difference between the two cruises had to do with diversity of passengers--the Holland America cruise seemed to have many more older people who were mainly from the United States. The Celebrity cruise seemed to have more diversity of age and nationality.

Exactly my experience and feelings....

Dennis

Jacksonville, Fl

428 days at sea

36 cruises